Perseverance
by Selena Snow
Summary: It's only a month left until his graduation from the police academy, and a guest speaker has hopped in. Oh, if only Nick could keep his mouth shut...and his heart safe from being stolen. Developing NickxJudy throughout their time as partners at the ZPD.
1. Hopp in For A Visit

"At attention, class!" the rhino yelled. "We have a guest coming in today, and I do NOT want her to see a bunch of useless, lazy recruits! Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Nick wanted to smirk as he sat down at his desk, but he knew better. After all, that didn't go so hot on his first day of police academy, and you'd think that he'd learned his lesson by now…well, no, he really hadn't, because two months later, he was still bold enough to let his lips curl up slyly. He knew who was coming— why wouldn't he? It wasn't like they'd solved the biggest case Zootopia had seen in years. Heck, he probably didn't even need all this extra "training" nonsense, but she'd insisted that if he really wanted to become her partner, he would have to go through with it. And besides, there was only one month left. He could make it, right?

That is, if Judy didn't squeeze him to death on sight. And by the look of it when she first walked in, she definitely wanted to. Her ears were straight up, and her nose was twitching rapidly. Within two seconds, she'd flicked her eyes over toward him and given the quickest of winks. He raised his aviators and winked in response, smirk full on his muzzle.

After a brief handshake with the rabbit, Chief Horner stared his class down. "This is Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD. As the model of our Animal Inclusion Program, she will be talking to you on the values of perseverance— physical, mental, and psychological."

Coughing, Nick quipped, "You forgot emotional."

"Quiet, Wilde!" Horner yelled. "Don't make me-"

"Actually, he's quite right." Ah, yes, there she was, already defending him with all her furry might. Judy sent a warm smile toward Nick. "Thank you for your comment, Mister-?"

Nick had to bite down on his lips. He wanted to laugh so bad— she was acting like they didn't know each other! Smooth move, Carrots, smooth move. "Nick Wilde, ma'am." Even at a distance, he could see that her eyes had brightened just a little bit. She'd missed him, he knew it. And well, it wasn't as if he couldn't say the same for himself.

Taking his chance, Nick slid in, "But feel free to call me 'Foxy'."

"WILDE!" the Chief shouted again, but the class couldn't be controlled in their laughter. Even Judy let her professional facade go by the wayside for a brief moment as she giggled behind her paws. Nick smiled proudly. She'd laughed, and that was all he needed to be content for the next hour or two of lecturing.

Finally, the class settled down, and Judy stood up tall (or as tall as she could) again. She smiled brightly at them. "Good afternoon, recruits. You've made it this far, and I look forward to meeting you at the office in the coming months. If you were unaware of this beforehand, I will be speaking at your graduation ceremony, so we will certainly be seeing each other again!"

Nick glanced around the room. Some animals seemed impressed— after all, this little creature (more than a tenth of their size for some of them) was practically a ZPD celebrity, a force to be reckoned with. Others had haughty looks, wondering what this bunny was doing talking to them about perseverance. Nick made a mental note of these to make sure to cheat them later in a game of cards.

"…will only be speaking to you for a few minutes, as I know that you need to get back to work in order to graduate on time." Oops, Judy was speaking and he zoned out. Good job, Wilde, good job.

"But when I think of perseverance, I think of something a good friend of mine once told me." Her eyes were on him now, talking to him alone. "He told me, 'don't let them see that they get to you'." Then suddenly, Judy looked away, laughing a bit. "Well, I would amend that some."

Nick got a sick feeling in his stomach. He'd told her that what felt like ages ago, before their fight, before he'd realized how much he cared, how much he actually needed her. He'd been honest when he'd said that, true, but then he'd also said that nothing ever got to him anymore…her included. He wanted to get up and stop her, tell her he was sorry for saying that and that he didn't mean that he didn't care for her, but— oh, he was gonna get it, he knew it.

"He was partially right," she continued. "You should be tough, be willing to take the smack talk and stand there unaffected," He knew it was coming, he knew she was about to contradict him in the nicest way she possibly could, and he still felt awful about it. But then, she turned her eyes back to him, looking even happier than when she'd first spotted him coming in. "But you also need to know when to show how you feel. We aren't just police officers, peace keepers, whatever you want to call it— we're the ones who care so much for our home that we're willing to fight for it."

"My friend, well…" she trailed off, looking slightly bashful with her ears down. "He had a hard time showing that he cared for a while. I'm pretty sure he hated me, actually."

'No, no!' he wanted to shout. 'Okay, well, maybe a little bit, but not anymore! You're my best friend, and I'm really sorry and please don't make those eyes any bigger, I can't stand it, please stop—'

There was that bright smile again, that look she gave him that said those words that they'd never actually said out loud because it wasn't necessary— they knew.

"But then he saved me. You see, I was an idiot and we were running through this museum storage room or something," she started rambling. "-and I cut one of my legs, and Nick-"

She realized her mistake almost automatically, as did the rest of the class. Wide eyes turned and stared at him. And as always, Nick Wilde was completely prepared to be the center of attention.

"Yeah, you sliced it on one of those marble statues, didn't you?" he commented, then tsked, "That was one nasty wound, there, Carrots."

The wall had been broken down, leaving Judy to roll her eyes and reply, "Oh shut up, I thought you were about to panic before you remembered those stupid blueberries you brought and started wrapping up my leg. Why did you bring those, anyway?"

The class was in awe now, eyes going back and forth between the pair as if they were watching a tennis match.

"What, I was hungry, okay?" Nick parried. "But you gotta admit, they did come in handy when she thought she shot me with the virus."

Judy and Nick snickered together when they thought about their little "death scene", especially the part when he had to act savage and she started shouting about blood.

Still giggling, Judy continued her speech, "As you can see, Nick and I had each other's backs-"

"Fell through a rainforest," Nick coughed.

She shook her head, mumbling, "That was _one_ time, Wilde, _one time_." Nick smirked again.

" _Anyway_ , Nick's got me, and I've got him. We know we can count on each other because we care about each other, and that's okay. When you get a partner, you might find yourself in situations you could only dream of. It's going to be tough, and you can't persevere on your own, no matter how confident you are that you can." Her eyes softened now.

"I probably wouldn't be here— heck, I _know_ I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Nick Wilde. He went from being my worst nightmare to my best friend, and I can't thank him enough for that and the lessons he's taught me. So go out there and be strong. Be bold. Be confident. But show that you care, because that's what'll get you far. Not being rude, or arrogant," she stopped to give a look at the students Nick had noted earlier. "Being an officer isn't about getting to wield authority over others, getting to turn the siren on, or being the boss. It's about caring for and protecting your city. Can I expect that from you?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" The class shouted, standing up abruptly to salute her.

She smiled brightly at them, nodded at Chief Horner, and looked back at the class. "You are dismissed, with the exception of Mr. Wilde."

His cocky smirk was back, and he put his feet up on his desk as he watched the rest of his class go out for training on the ice wall. Some of them stopped by to thank Judy, to which she replied with a big smile and a thank you.

Once the door was shut, he swung his feet off his desk and began his slow stroll up to the front of the class. "I've gotta say, Carrots, that was some spee-"

Judy cut him off by hugging him as tight as her little self could. He hardly had a second to hug her himself before she jumped back and said, "How was it? Did I do okay? Gosh, I forgot how much I hate public speaking, and I'll be doing a speech too at your graduation ceremony and then you're here, which makes me feel even more pressure because I don't want to screw up again and I-"

"Judy?"

That made her stop her rambling. He never used her first name. "Y-yes?" she stuttered.

A knowing smile came onto his muzzle. "Deep breath, sweetheart. You're gonna start seeing carrots."

Judy punched him in the shoulder, laughing. Then she hugged him again, nuzzling her little pink nose into his rookie uniform. "I missed you, you stupid fox," she mumbled. Nick could feel his heart warming, expanding, almost like it was going to burst.

She looked up at him, amethyst eyes serious. "You need to hurry up and graduate— it's been so boring with you gone."

Nick hummed, gently pushing her head back into his chest with one paw and stroking her back with the other. "Let me guess…meter maid?"

Judy groaned and nodded. "Chief knows I need a partner to keep me in line, so he's been keeping me busy with other stuff until you get back."

"A fox? Keep _you_ in line? Well I'll be darned."

"Shut up," the bunny giggled. "We keep each other in line," she amended.

Nick allowed his walls to come down just long enough to give the top of Judy's head a quick nuzzle. "That's more like it."


	2. Furst Day on the Job

**Okay, I've decided to continue this! It'll be a short, 10 chapter fic with just enough cuteness to leave you wanting more. Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!**

First of all, it was way too early in the morning— so early, in fact, that he was still partially using his night vision. But then again, that could be because the blinds were still shut, but he wasn't about to go open them. That would be too much effort, especially considering the fact that he'd already taken the initiative to get up early, get dressed in his new uniform, and eat a semi-decent breakfast.

And no, he wasn't nervous, thanks for asking.

…okay, so maybe he was. What's it to you?

Nick took in a deep breath, repeating a mantra in his head. 'Don't let them see that they get to you, don't let them see that they get to you, don't let them see…'

Aviators on to cover his wide and frightened eyes, Nick finally plucked up the courage to leave his apartment. He'd gotten through the police academy, so it wasn't like they were still going to see him as a criminal…right? And at least there were a good amount of predators there, so he wouldn't be alone. Although even if there weren't, Judy wouldn't let him feel alone for even a second.

The thought of that little bunny sent an electric surge through his body, shaking him back into his normal self. He'd have Carrots by his side, so he'd be fine! They'd already been told they were official partners, so what was there to fear? So long as he had her, then he knew he'd never have to be alone ever again.

His wandering thoughts and feet had somehow lead him all the way to the Zootopia Police Department, a giant building that loomed over him ominously. Swallowing, he pushed his way into the building.

"Hey, Nick!" the cheetah at the front desk called, donut in paw. "Judy told me to be on the look out for you! Her office is on the third floor, first door to the left— you can't miss it!"

The fox chuckled unsurely. "Thanks, Clawhauser."

"No problem," he replied, waving a paw. "Ooh, Nick!" he called again. "Have a donut! For your first day?" Clawhauser offered.

Touched, Nick swiped a donut from the box and mumbled a thank you. Do animals typically act this nice? He wondered as he munched on his donut. Do most of them see him as _what_ he is, or for _who_ he is? Shrugging, he decided he was just gonna have to find out over time.

After a few flights of steps, Nick turned left and saw a small office with the door wide open, a gleaming plate that said "Off. Hopps" on the front. He knocked against the frame, smirking when Judy jumped a little.

"Good morning!" she greeted, jumping down from her chair to give him a hug. "I didn't even hear you coming, I was so focussed on paperwork, and I forgot to check the time until now-"

Nick chuckled. "Easy there, Carrots, slow down a bit-"

"-ah!" she yelped suddenly. "Assignments start in two minutes— come on!" Grabbing his paw, Judy began pulling Nick down the hall. He could see other animals chuckling at her enthusiasm, prompting Nick to look as disapproving of her as he could.

"Now Carrots, do you really think it's professional to run down the hallway?" he asked loudly for all the passerbys to hear.

All animals in the hallway chuckled, but Judy just shook her head. "No, it's unprofessional to be late!" When she pulled him into the room, almost all the chairs were full. That is, except for hers at the very front. Wilde tried to look around for an empty chair, but he found none. His ears drooped the slightest bit, but then he heard her call him.

She was up in her chair, scooted far over to one side. "There aren't any more chairs, so sit with me. There's plenty of room!" she insisted as she patted the spot next to her. Nick glanced around the room once more, deciding she was right. He got up in the chair next to her and began to put his feet up on the desk, only to have her paw swipe at them to put them down. He did so right before Chief Bogo entered.

"Alright, alright enough. Shut it!" he shouted. All talking ceased. "We have some new recruits with us, as of this morning, including our first fox."

Judy glanced at Nick, smiling broadly.

"…who cares," the buffalo snorted.

"Ha! You should have your own line of inspirational greeting cards, sir," the fox quipped.

"Shut your mouth, Wilde!" Bogo shouted, but the class was already shaking with laughter. "Assignments…Officers Gazole, Fangmire, Delgatto— underground SWAT. Snarloff, Higgins, Wollpert— undercover. Hopps, Wilde…" The duo turned toward their chief expectantly.

"…parking duty. Dismissed."

Judy and Nick's mouths were open in confusion when Bogo added, "Just kidding! We have reports of a street racer tearing up Savannah Central. Find him, shut him down."

"Yes, sir!" Judy replied enthusiastically. Nick nodded his assent at Chief Bogo and started to follow his friend out.

"Wilde," Chief Bogo called.

Nick turned back around. "…yes, sir?"

"Welcome to the team," Bogo ground out. "And keep that bunny of yours in line, hm?"

Nick glanced back at Judy, who was looking at him expectantly. "Will do, sir." The buffalo nodded, then got back to assignments. Within ten minutes, Nick and Judy were rolling out in the new police force prototype— The ZPD Striker. It was the perfect vehicle for tracking down a street racer, and Nick was having a hard time containing his excitement.

Judy kept giving him knowing looks, but she didn't say anything about the way his tail wagged, the constant sniffing of his nose, or how his ears kept perking up at every sound. After twenty minutes, the newness started to wear off, and Nick found himself asking, "So are all rabbits bad drivers, or is it just you?"

 _ **SCREECH**_

"Oops, sorry," Judy apologized dryly.

Nick laughed as he got up from the floorboards. So she'd noticed he didn't have his seatbelt on too, huh? "Sly bunny," he teased.

"Dumb fox," she tossed back, smirking.

A similar smirk made its way onto Nick's muzzle. "You know you love me," he drawled. And then there was a split second of fear. He'd said it- the "L" word that neither of them had said out loud before. Dang it, why did he say that, it was just a joke and he shouldn't have said that, and now she's using his technique about asking the question, and he can feel his ears going back ever so slightly, and-

"-yes, yes I do," she replied with a smile. Nick's smirk was back, but his heart rate was still through he roof. Wait, he should say it back now, right? Yeah, he should say it, because it really shouldn't be that difficult to admit you care about your best friend, but- oh wait, the light turned green. Maybe he could say it now-?

 _ **SCREECH**_

A red and white car roared past them. Nick and Judy shared a devious look. He flicked on his aviators. She turned on the siren. They were off.


	3. Ramifications

They'd been working together for two weeks now, and those two weeks had been some of the best in his entire life. No more hustling, no more deceiving, no more conniving…well, except for in the name of the law, of course. And boy did that carrot recorder come in handy.

So after these two weeks, Nick had…"stumbled" across some tickets to a Gazelle concert. And by stumbled, he meant that maybe he had a favor from some old friends that he needed to cash in, and since he was currently cutting all ties to his past life, what better time than now?

And so this is why Nick walked in so proudly that Friday morning. The concert was tomorrow night, and he just knew that he was about to make Judy's day. His tail was swaying back and forth, his foot steps were just a bit lighter, and those aviators sure did gleam in the morning sunlight as he made his way to the ZPD. When he got there, he flicked the aviators up, said a quick hello to Clawhauser, and made his way up the stairs.

As per usual, he leaned against the door frame and took a few moments just to admire the little cottontail. She looked like she was hard at work, filling out paperwork and talking on the phone at the same time.

"Of course, I understand ma'am…yes, we'll have someone to you immediately. I'll transfer your call right now…yes, ma'am, I assure you, a ZPD officer will be at your house within fifteen minutes max. I know that may seem like a long time, ma'am, but really-"

A beep signaled Judy that the call had been transferred, but she hadn't been the one to hit the button. Nick smirked when she finally looked up and jumped when she saw him.

"Nick! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Judy groaned, setting her head down on her desk.

The fox frowned. She wasn't being her usual perky self…and the more he thought about it, she hadn't walked out with him last night like usual. "Carrots, how long have you been here?"

She lifted her head off the desk. Why hadn't he noticed the bags under her eyes or the way her ears were drooping?

"Since 2am…couldn't sleep…too much paperwork to catch up on," she mumbled. Her eyelids were heavy, and her speech was slurred.

The softer side of Nick immediately kicked in, and he found himself helping her out of her desk. "Okay, Cottontail, let's get you home to get some rest, alright? I'll tell Chief you're not feeling well, and-"

"No, but I have to get the- the paperwork…" she yawned. Her weight was getting heavier against him, and he looked down to see that she'd fallen asleep leaning on him. Sighing, he set her back down in her chair and put his vest over her for a blanket. He knew she wouldn't let him take her back home, but he was going to make sure she slept somehow.

Nick made his way down to Chief Bogo's office and knocked. There was a muffled "come in", and he opened the door.

"What do you want, Wilde?" the buffalo huffed, not looking up from his desk.

Nick laughed nervously. Bogo always had a way of knowing when he wanted something. "Well, ah, Carrots- I mean, Judy apparently couldn't sleep last night…so she came here at 2am." The chief looked up at him, surprised. "I went to say good morning, and she fell asleep at her desk, so I was gonna ask if we could spend the day catching up on paperwork?" Bogo raised an eyebrow, and Nick swallowed. "Just something easier so, um, she doesn't…overwork herself? Not to say she's not up to the challenge, she always is, but I mean-"

Chief Bogo snorted, air coming out of his snout. Embarrassed, Nick's ears went down and he started to make his way out of the room.

"Wilde!"

"Y-Yes, sir?"

The buffalo gave the fox a once over. "Go take care of your partner. But make sure she takes care of herself, next time."

Nick perked up immediately, snapped a salute, and called "thank you!" as he rushed back to Judy's office. When he got there, he saw that she was still fast asleep. Her nose twitched, and she mumbled something about carrots. Snickering, he pulled up a chair and started looking over her paperwork.

About two hours later, he heard sniffling. Nick glanced over just in time to see amethyst eyes blink open. It took her only a moment to look at the clock, jump up, and start scrambling around for her papers.

"Oh no, I can't believe I fell asleep! Where did they go, Nick? I had the file on the ram case right here!" she rambled.

Shaking his head, Nick held up the file before he let it fall to the desk. "Done. As are these." Three other files fell from his paws.

Judy sat there, her mouth open. "B-But, but how did you?"

"Guess I'm just fast at it," he shrugged. "And don't worry about Chief Bogo- I already dealt with him this morning."

For once, his little bunny was speechless. She looked one part flustered, two parts grateful, and one part very emotional. Tears were flooding her eyes, and she was trying her best to get them to go away. But Nick just held out his paws, knowing that she needed a hug.

She fell against him, burying her head in his chest. "Thank you," she sniffled.

"You're welcome." They shared a smile, separated, and then sat down in their chairs.

"Could you, ah," Judy started, still wiping away a few straggling tears. "Could you go pick up a few more files to work on? They're in cabinet D4."

"Sure, Cottontail," Nick replied. He gave her a quick salute as he left, which she returned with a watery laugh. That's when Nick started counting down.

"60…59…58…" he hummed as he went to the file room across the hall. "39…38…37…" Files in hand, he started the journey back. "15…14…13-"

"NICK WILDE!"

'"Quicker than I thought," he snickered under his breath. Nick made his face completely calm before he walked in. "Yes, Carrots?"

The ram file was open, just like he predicted. Of course she'd go back and check his work. And of course she would find the Gazelle tickets inside. So there she was, staring at the tickets in her paws in awe.

"Did you-"

"Yes."

"How-"

"Connections."

"When-"

"Tomorrow night."

He was crushed in a hug.

Water was flying around the stage, tigers were dancing around Gazelle, and lights were flashing everywhere. Oh, and the little creature next to him was jumping up and down ecstatically. Nick was standing there calmly, enjoying the music, but not about to loose his cool factor. A startling bump against his hip alerted him to the fact that Judy was looking at him, waiting for him to dance too.

He chuckled. If it was a dance she wanted, it was a dance she was gonna get. Not that he was any good, though, so he just started to roll his paws in a circle in front of him. She gave him an approving smile, and he returned it.


	4. Give Paws

It was one of those times when every animal in Zootopia decided to actually obey the law, thus leaving the officers of ZPD very bored. And especially in the case of a hyperactive rabbit and a mischievous fox, bored was something that Chief Bogo did not want.

"Hopps, Wilde— foot patrol of the area within a radius of 10 blocks. Dismissed!" the buffalo called.

"Well, it's better than nothing," Judy commented as they made their exit. Nick just shrugged. The weather was going to be fine, the company was more than acceptable, and everything else was perfectly average. But this had been such a slow week, and he had the feeling that a foot patrol wasn't going to get out all of the energy he'd built up.

Regardless, he and Judy geared up and headed out to survey the area. He made himself content to listen to her as she switched from one topic to another, nodding or humming every now and then to reassure her that he was listening. For possibly the fifth time, Nick checked his phone. Barely an hour had passed.

Flicking up his aviators, Nick checked the area they were in.

"-and then my parents called again, and ever since that case a few weeks ago, they've apparently been checking their carrots at night to make sure no one's been stealing them! Maybe I should stop telling them about our cases- wait, where are you going, Nick?" Judy halted.

He smirked and gave a cool shrug as he sauntered away. "Oh, nowhere, just to get a smoothie. Want one?" he asked.

Judy rolled her eyes, one foot working up a thumping. "Nick, we're on patrol! We have to keep going-"

But he was already at least twenty feet away. "I hear they have carrot flavored!" he shouted back. Nick grinned when he felt her presence rejoin him on the sidewalk.

"Fine, but we'll get our smoothie and leave, got it?"

"Oh, I got it," he assured her with a wink. Within minutes, Judy was happily slurping on a carrot smoothie at a table for two. Nick sipped his blueberry smoothie slowly, watching Judy with an amused look. Clearly she'd forgotten the whole "get our smoothie and leave" idea.

If only it could have lasted longer, because soon they were back on the sidewalk. Judy was rambling again, Nick was humming again. But soon, even Judy ran out of conversation topics, and the pair fell silent. And silence is when danger likes to strike.

"Hey, stop him! Some animal stop him!"

Fox and bunny jumped into action, with Judy finding the source of the shout and Nick rushing after the apparent assailant. It was a masked leopard, if the markings on its fur were any sign. Nick wasn't nearly as fast as Judy, but he did know all the short cuts, leaving him dashing through alleys to corner the thief. Nick rounded a corner and waited.

3…2…1…NOW!

Nick leapt forward, threw a punch, and handcuffed the leopard. He landed on the ground nimbly, and the dazed leopard fell onto the concrete. Before the thief could get up, a dart sunk into his fur, and he was out.

"You're getting slower," Nick teased.

Judy rolled her eyes and put her tranquilizer away. "I had to find out if there was cause for a chase-"

Nick dangled a purse in front of her eyes smugly.

"…and apparently there was, so good job," she nodded approvingly. "I already called for backup— they should be here in a minute. That tranq will keep him out for a while."

Judy took her phone out and started to take down notes of the incident while Nick unmasked the leopard. Not surprising— it was an animal he'd run into before when he worked for Mister Big. Nick could hear the sirens pulling up outside of the alley. What if they realized Nick and he had worked together? Would they fire him for not divulging information? Surely they wouldn't, but there was a possibility that-

"Nick? Nick, we can go now, they've got it handled. We need to get back to our patrol."

The fox shook himself out of his daze. Judy was staring up at him with a worried expression. He quickly slapped on a grin and said, "Well, what are you waiting for, partner? Let's get going."

That made her smile again, and so the duo set off again after a quick report to Chief Bogo. Nick looked down at her and noticed the slightest droop in her ears.

"Hey, uh…you know I was kidding, right? A-About you being slow?" he coughed.

"Hm?" Judy asked, ears perking up. "Sorry, I zoned out a bit. What did you say?"

Nick laughed nervously, and was about to brush it off, but as soon as they exited the alley, ten microphones were shoved into their faces.

"Officer Hopps! Over here!"

"Officer, were you just attacked by that leopard?"

"What made you use lethal force, Officer Hopps?"

"How did this predator threaten you?"

"Officer Hopps, do you still believe in the inferiority of prey?"

"Why are you working with a predator, Officer?"

"Should prey species be wary around predators?"

"EHEM," Nick coughed loudly. Smiling broadly, he put an arm around Judy, who looked like a deer in headlights. "There will be no comment from Officer Hopps on any of those ridiculous questions right now, thank you."

There was an uproar of more questions from the crowd of reporters, but only one was heard loud and clear.

"Officer Hopps, isn't this the predator who threatened you during the Savage Case?"

That was it.

"Alright, that's enough, out of our way-!" Nick called as he grabbed Judy around the waist and elbowed his way out of the crowd. Only when they'd gotten a block away did Nick look back and see Chief Bogo telling the reporters to scatter. Nick surveyed the area. They were about five minutes from his apartment. Then he looked down at Judy.

She looked like she'd just gone through a fight. Her arms hung by her sides, her ears were limp, and a frown was etched deep into her muzzle. Nick tightened his hold around her waist and kept walking.

When they arrived, he flicked on the light and lead her over to the couch. It didn't take long before he was holding her as she cried into his chest.

"I feel like such a failure sometimes," she sniffled. "I said all those things so long ago, and they won't forget it, and all because I handled that case the wrong way, and, and-"

"Shhh, Carrots, calm down," Nick commanded softly. "It's my fault, too. I…I shouldn't have put you in that position, so I, ah," he cleared his throat. "I apologize."

The bunny looked up at him, eyes watery. "What do you mean?"

Nick hesitated. He still hated thinking about it. "You know, when I…yelled at you."

She looked down. "Oh…yeah, that." The room fell silent.

"So, um-"

"I mean-"

They looked at each other and laughed. "You first," Nick smiled.

Judy looked bashful all of the sudden. "I think…I think we both hurt each other that day," she started. "And, and that's not okay, not at all. But you forgave me for being a jerk, so I forgive you, too."

Nick couldn't say anything. His mouth went dry. He wanted to say sorry again, or maybe say thank you, he couldn't really decide. So instead, he settled for, "So…do you wanna watch a movie?"

Judy laughed a bit, looking up at the clock on his wall. "Nick, we really do need to get back to work."

The fox shrugged. "I'm sure Bogo will understand."


	5. Harried Feelings

There was only one word that could be used to describe how Nick felt: ugh.

'Ugh' as in why had Judy recently been able to boss him around so easily?

'Ugh' as in he'd stopped insulting her as much, even though they both knew he was kidding.

'Ugh' as in there's this weird feeling that keeps messing with his stomach when he sees that bunny.

'Ugh' as in dang it, he was falling. Falling _hard_.

Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe it was because he'd seen her at her lowest moments, those moments when her amethyst eyes got huge and all of his walls came crashing down. Or maybe it's because he'd seen her at her highest moments— those times when they're together and they feel like they can do almost anything. Maybe it's because he loves doing things to make her smile, and that's it. For once in his life, there's no ulterior motive. There's nothing he's trying to get from her, no information he's trying to weasel out.

She's just her, that adorable rabbit that he can't stop staring at.

But wait, when did he start noticing all these things? It was probably the other day when they watched a movie. She'd fallen asleep, and he noticed the way she cuddled into him, trying to get as close as possible. Then he'd realized he'd been staring for who knew how long.

And then the next day, he'd started a tradition that was now going strong for two weeks. That smoothie shop, he realized, was on his way to work. So of course he'd stopped in to get his favorite bunny a carrot smoothie. And thus it began. Somehow Judy hadn't gotten tired of it yet— each morning she would greet him with a hug, swipe the smoothie away, and give him a thank you just before she got a brain freeze.

Which, of course, was adorable, because whenever she got a brain freeze, her little ears would fall forward over her head and into her eyes.

And that was another thing— Judy had so many things that were cute about her, but he couldn't tell her. Clawhauser had once told him the story of how the cheetah first met Judy and how he'd accidentally offended her. Nick didn't see what the big deal was about the word "cute", but he wasn't about to get on her bad side. Even though she was pretty adorable when she got angry-

"Nick Wilde, are you even listening to me?"

"Hm?"

The bunny in front of him huffed, her foot moving rapidly. "I _said_ that we need to get going! Chief Bogo gave us our debriefing, remember?"

"Mhm, oh yeah, totally."

Judy growled. It was moments like these when she questioned why she was partners with this fox. Annoyed at his lack of attention, she hopped up and flicked his ear.

"Ow! What was that for?" Nick yelped.

Judy snickered. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart. Now come on— we both need to go out shopping for our mission."

Nick didn't even attempt to disagree. He just got up, opened the door, and said, "After you, Carrots."

She smiled excitedly, taking his paw and dragging him out of her office. "Where should we go first, hm? We could go to Lily Puliger, but that's kind of expensive, and they don't have things for males. Maybe B-Elks? Ooh, how about—"

"Whatever you want, Cottontail," Nick shrugged carelessly. He had absolutely no preference on where to shop for— what was it again? Oh yes, they had to get formal wear. Ick.

Judy gave the fox a surprised look, but shrugged and kept walking. She kept giving him these weird looks throughout their shopping journey. Maybe she was surprised at his lack of complaining? Maybe she was expecting him to make a joke about some of the dresses she tried on? Either way, he was going along with it, so she guessed that she should be content.

But then came the part when she started making _him_ try on things, and that's when things got a little more complicated.

A moose shop assistant and his bunny were currently staring him down, searching for any possible flaws. "…I'm just not feeling it," Judy finally said. "It's not very…Nick."

"Sweetheart, no suit I put on is going to look very 'me'," Nick drawled. This was the third suit he'd put on, and he was starting to get impatient.

The moose mumbled something about 'charcoal grey' and wandered off. Judy walked over and smiled up at Nick. "Don't worry, we'll find something for you soon. Maybe it's this bow tie…" she hummed. Nick could feel his face warming when she reached up to take his bow tie off.

As she was folding it up neatly, the moose came back with another option and shooed Nick into the dressing room. Grumbling, Nick went to try on yet another suit, thinking that if it wasn't for Judy, he wouldn't be caught dead in here.

And there it is. That 'ugh' feeling again.

But it's a great feeling, isn't it? Even if it wasn't something he particularly loved to do, he would do it for her, just to make her happy. And who knows, maybe this suit will do the trick while they're on their mission? Perhaps she'll see him in it, think he's the most handsome fox alive, and-

Ugh. He needed to focus on something not Judy Hopps for once.

But why _couldn't_ he focus on her? Why couldn't his whole life revolve around that little furball of happiness? The obvious answer: because he'd get hurt. Nick knew he cared too much, and that if anything happened to her, he'd blame himself entirely. But how can something like that be such a bad thing? It really isn't, when you think about it-

"Nick, are you done?"

Said fox jumped. "Y-Yeah, almost! Give me a minute!" The idiot had just been standing there, having totally forgotten about putting on a different suit. He hardly paid attention to his appearance when he came out of the dressing room.

"That's it! That's the one!" Judy declared. Nick froze, watching how she circled him three times to investigate. She stood back, nodded once, and said, "We'll take that one."

Nick watched as Judy then hopped over to a table of bow ties. She studied them for a minute, then picked one up with a triumphant "aha!". She came over, tied it around his neck, and stood back again to look.

Feeling mischievous, Nick wagged his eyebrows. "Like what you see, bunny?" he teased.

Judy burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her paws. "Do I?" she asked, the question an echo of their past. "Yes, yes I do. We'll take the bow tie, too," she told the moose. "What do you think, Nick? You're the one wearing it, after all."

He shrugged. "You're probably right-"

"Oh, I _know_ I'm right," she claimed proudly. There were only two seconds of silence before the pair burst out laughing.

That night as he packed for their mission, he couldn't help but run through the plan at least twenty times in his to the gala, get in, get the information, get out. It seemed like a simple enough plan, but he knew better. If the crime boss was anything like Chief Bogo had described, then there would be extra security.

And Nick had to be honest— he didn't like their plan. Probably because it involved Judy acting completely out of character while he had to watch from the sidelines, but still. It just wasn't safe for her…and no, it wasn't because he felt protective.

Ugh, okay fine, yes it was because of that.

This was going to be difficult.


	6. The Nick of Time

The lights were dim, the floors were polished, and a crystal chandelier hung from above. Animals of all species were there, all wearing expensive clothes, dancing elegantly, or making small talk about their latest enterprises. The gala emanated wealth, opulence, and splendor. Even he, with his jaded hatred of these upper class snobs, had to admit that it was impressive.

But of course among all this beauty, there was her. And of course it was her job to bat her eyes, pout her lips, and sway her hips just a bit more than usual around the hare crime boss…but that didn't mean Nick had to like it.

Yet no matter how much it tortured him to watch, he couldn't look away— she was absolutely fascinating to watch. He took pride in knowing it was him who taught her how to hustle so well. And anyway, she looked darn good, and he wasn't going to miss out on the chance to gaze at her from across the room.

He was used to seeing her in one of three outfits— her ZPD uniform, her "bunny bumpkin" outfit, and her athletic clothes when she's gone for an early morning jog. But now, there she was, gliding across polished wood in a violet gown.

 _"I mean, we're going undercover, Nick!" she'd exclaimed as she tore through racks of dresses. "Outside of Zootopia! We have to look the part."_

Hence why he was dressed in his suit and bow-tie as he leaned against the bar, eyes half lidded. He could see it now— once she was done sweet talking the hare for information, Nick would cut in and sweep her away for a dance. And then _he_ would be the one she was batting her eyes at, not that guy.

"She yours?"

"Yeah," Nick sighed dreamily. Then his eyes shot open and he stuttered. "I-I mean, w-we're, um, we work together, business partners, but anyway, I don't, ah, think she sees me that way."

The bartender, a large yak, snorted a bit. "Yeah, I ain't buyin' it, bud. You're not from around here, are you? Your accent isn't very Kingdomian."

Nick chuckled amiably. "Really, is it that obvious?"

"Entirely," the yak smirked. "Animal Kingdom is a good place for interspecies relationships, though— you made the right choice moving out here."

"Oh yeah, it was totally worth it for the business," he replied casually. Nick wanted to bang his head on the bar counter. He could hardly remember their alibi— that they were a rich, upper class couple visiting from Zootopia— let alone think straight and focus on their mission.

Wait, the music had faded out…Hopps!

Nick began frantically looking around the ballroom, trying desperately to look as calm and collected as possible. Dang it, why couldn't she be taller? Heck, why couldn't _he_ be taller?

"Looks like you might wanna go get your girl," the yak commented with a nod of his head. Nick looked in that direction, just barely seeing her ears sticking up through the crowd.

"Thanks, buddy," the fox winked, setting down a tip as he walked away. 'Slowly,' he reminded himself. He had to walk calmly so he wouldn't draw attention. He'd already spotted guards in each corner of the room, and no doubt they'd be on him in less than a second if he looked suspicious.

He was less than ten feet away, now. Judy was still smoothly chatting up the hare, but the closer he looked, he could see panic in her eyes. She kept glancing around, looking for the fox that failed to save her a minute ago. Their eyes met. She blinked twice, then turned away. It was time.

Nick approached the pair, nose up in the air. "Ehem," he coughed. The hare and bunny turned around, and Nick found his mouth going dry. She looked even more beautiful up close. Luckily, the expectant look she gave him made him snap out of it. "Elizabeth, I believe we have time to dance before we must retire to Hamilton's for the evening."

"Elizabeth" pouted a little. She sighed delicately, leaning over to whisper something into the hare's ear. Whatever it was made him grin and whisper something back. "Elizabeth" giggled, kissed the hare on the cheek, and reluctantly made her way to Nick.

"Only one dance, George. It's getting rather stuffy in here," she replied, tossing her head back to give the hare a wink.

"Of course, dear," the fox assented. He held out his arm, prompting her to rest her paw delicately on his. They glided together to the center of the ballroom. Violins strained gracefully against their ears as he took her waist with one paw and her paw with the other.

As they swayed back and forth, Nick noticed the sound of her heels on the wood floors. Though he typically liked the feeling of being taller, being more capable of protecting her, he was enjoying her face being closer to his. However, he also noticed that her attention was not on him, and that was something that he and his alter ego George did not enjoy.

Nick leaned down, muzzle dangerously close to her ear. "Do stop looking at him, _dear_. One might think that you're interested in him and not me."

His bunny rolled her amethyst eyes. "Oh do shut up, _George_ , I'm just playing my part. He really wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be."

He snorted, dropping character for just a moment. "Oh I see— so he's the nice type of criminal. Who knew those existed?"

And there she was again. Her persona dropped, and left in his arms was his Judy, giving him a look he'd never seen before. Her eyes had gotten bigger somehow, yet they were now half-lidded. A soft smile was on her muzzle, and her head was tilted slightly as she stared up at him.

Nick forced himself to look away. She was about to drive him crazy looking at him like that. Then finally, her quiet voice came from below him.

"Yeah, wonder where I got that idea from?"

He didn't have to look to know she was smirking. He also didn't have to wonder for a second who she was referring to. Instead, he took advantage of their front and pulled her closer.

"You look beautiful, Carrots," he murmured moments later.

They were so close, he could feel her heat up. "Shut up, Wilde, you're just trying to make me blush."

Nick chuckled. "Maybe, but it's true…and I'm, ah," he swallowed. "I'm sorry I forgot to get you in time. I got a little…distracted."

Judy snickered. "Of course you would. It's fine, though— you got out me before it was too late, like you always do." She was giving him that look again, but this time, Nick couldn't turn away. She was pulling him in, and it was getting harder to resist.

Luckily, the song ended, snapping them both out of their trance. "Ready to leave, dear?"

Judy schooled her features into haughty elegance. "Oh, if we must…" she trailed off, glancing once more in the direction of the hare.

A low growl was forming in his throat, but it was cut off.

"Elizabeth" had leaned up and given "George" a kiss on his cheek.


	7. Foxing Around the Edges

She'd been avoiding him lately, it was so obvious. Oh, where had he gone wrong? Was it on their last mission? He'd told her that she looked nice, girls liked hearing those things, right? So that shouldn't be it, because it was a compliment, and a genuine one, at that. Then what had he done? He hadn't forgotten her smoothie, right? No, he remembered it every single day, and hadn't missed it for several weeks now.

Ugh, he needed to stop obsessing over this. He should just go to her and talk to her…gosh, when had a three foot bunny become so intimidating?

It should be easy to talk to his best friend. After all, that's what they were— best friends. Conversation flowed freely and without a hitch between them.

But if that was so, then why hadn't she even bothered to text him this week? Even when it came to her daily smoothie, he'd been leaving it on her desk the past few days. Heck, she hadn't even been at the morning debriefings lately! Yup, she was definitely avoiding him. And he was going to ask her about it this very day…or maybe tomorrow.

Nick Wilde wanted to slam his head against his kitchen counter. That bunny had completely taken over his life, and she didn't even know it. The distraught fox looked up at the clock on the wall— it was 2am. He'd been having these awful insomniac nights a lot recently. He'd been blaming them on the fact that his biology naturally made him more of a nocturnal creature, but who was he kidding? It all had to do with that beautiful rabbit that was running laps in his mind.

Groaning, Nick made his way into his bedroom. Maybe he'd be able to sleep tonight…just maybe…and then tomorrow, he would ask her what was going on.

But he couldn't sleep.

He thought back to a few months ago, that time in the car. He'd said that stupid line about if she loved him or not, and she'd replied yes. But what did that mean? Did she love him, like…love him? Or did she mean it in a friendly way? Even worse, what if she meant it in a brotherly way? Oh, that would be so humiliating.

Nick knew that he loved her. Of course, he'd known that he'd loved her as a friend for a while now. Why else would he have kept that stupid carrot recorder when they weren't speaking? He remembered how he'd almost ditched it out of anger, but he couldn't. It wasn't just his voice on there— her's was, too, that sweet little voice that made him regret walking out on her.

He turned over in bed. No, he definitely loved her more than that. And if this week was a sign, then he also knew that he didn't want to live without her. But he couldn't even admit it to himself, so how was he supposed to admit it to her?

Needless to say, the fox didn't sleep much that night.

The next morning, Nick dragged himself in to work. His tail was down, his fur was ruffled, and his aviators were the only thing keeping the rest of the animal world from seeing his bloodshot eyes. He needed to go talk to Judy, and he needed to talk to her now.

But then he wanted to smack himself in the head. He'd forgotten her smoothie, the one excuse he had to randomly pop into her office in the morning. Beating himself up internally, Nick made his way to her office anyway. When he poked his head in, he saw that it was empty. Sighing, he decided to sit down in the chair across from her desk and just wait it out. He was asleep in two minutes.

Officer Judy Hopps was the definition of exhaustion. The hyperactive ferret recruit was about to drive her insane. He was even more energetic than she was, and that's saying something. When Chief Bogo had given her the assignment of training a new recruit, she thought it'd be easy— no problems whatsoever. Now a week later, she realized that it was nowhere near easy.

The ferret was very forgetful, often liked to chat at all the wrong moments, and had a thing for tripping. But as the star figure of the Animal Inclusion Program, it was Judy's job to make sure that he was as prepared as possible.

So she'd pushed through that week, and now she was back to her normal routine. She'd never realized how much she loved it, the stability of it all. Knowing she'd be greeted each morning with a smoothie, a hug, and an entertaining conversation was definitely a huge part of her life. Judy was more than ready to have her partner back, but she certainly didn't expect him to be fast asleep in her office when she arrived.

After glancing around, Judy shut her office door behind her as softly as possible. She hopped up onto Nick, analyzing him. His fur was sticking up in weird places and his uniform was rumpled. Also, there was the noticeable lack of a carrot smoothie. Judy reached up and pulled off his aviators. There were bags under his eyes, a sure sign that he hadn't been taking care of himself.

She started to poke him, but then hesitated. The one time she'd not been feeling well, he'd covered for her and let her rest. Maybe she should do the same…but her concern was overwhelming her. What if something was really wrong? Shouldn't she wake him up to ask him about it?

Set in her decision, Judy began to shake his shoulders. "Nick? Nick, wake up."

When Nick's eyes blinked open, he was met with the face of his bunny less than six inches from his. He saw her blush and immediately hop down- wait, had she been sitting on him? Now he almost wished he hadn't woken up.

Nick shook his head rapidly. He surveyed the room and saw that Judy was staring at him with concern.

"Hey, there, Judy…" Nick mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

A few moments of silence passed. "Nick, are you okay? You don't look like it," she commented worriedly.

A sarcastic snort came from her partner. "Look at the pot calling the kettle black."

Judy looked down at herself and found that he was right. She also looked like a mess. She looked back at him and grinned a bit, "Looks like we've both had a rough week."

Nick crossed his arms and looked away. Judy could feel her heart drop at this. Why was he acting so strange?

"Well that would explain why you've been avoiding me," he huffed.

"What?" Judy gasped. "I haven't been avoiding you, Nick! Chief Bogo assigned me to a rookie to train them, and I told you, and you never replied, so I thought-"

Nick just laughed. "Told me? You never told me anything about that!"

The confused look on her face told Nick that something was clearly wrong. She pulled out her phone, studied the screen for a second, and groaned. "Oh my gosh, I thought I sent it to you!" she groaned. She turned the screen toward him.

It read, _"Hey Nick! Bogo's given me a rookie to train, so I'll be busy all week! See you soon, partner!"_

Nick could feel all of the worry and doubt he'd had this entire week begin to melt away. Judy put her phone back in her pocket. There was that look again— the one where her head was tilted, and her eyes were half lidded. But this time, she looked sad. She knew him better than anyone, and she _knew_. She could see it in his green eyes, the ones that were dull with the feeling of rejection.

Frowning, Judy climbed up into his lap again and put her arms around his neck. She could feel him hesitating, but finally he moved to hug her back. The slight brush of a waving tail let her know that he was starting to feel better. The partners spent a few minutes just sitting there in silence, holding each other. They both needed this after a week apart.

Finally they separated, but not before Judy ever so quickly nuzzled his cheek. "I love you, Nick," she said softly. Then she gave him a glowing smile, hopped off him, and went to the door. "I'm gonna get us some coffee— looks like we could both use it. Be right back!" she called as she left.

Nick sat there frozen. One paw was suspended in the air, and his mouth was dropped open. He'd been so close to saying it, dang it! Why hadn't he said it back?

And thus the sly fox began to plot.


	8. Prey Tell

"So what is this idea of yours again?" Judy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Nick smirked. "What, afraid of surprises?"

The bunny eyed her partner up and down. "…when it comes to a dumb fox, yes," she teased.

Said "dumb fox" rolled his eyes. She would never let him forget that. "Just a night to…hang out, you know? Chill, have some down time. You, me, food, movie, that sort of thing," he replied with a shrug. On the outside, Nick seemed completely calm and collected. But on the inside, he was freaking out. He wasn't asking her on a date…technically. And it _had_ been a while since they'd watched a movie together.

Judy stopped to give him a look. Nick watched as she got up on her toes, searched his eyes, and then walked away. "Hm, you _are_ telling the truth," she commented.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Oh really, how could you ever tell?" he questioned sarcastically.

She gave him another look. "I can just tell— you're way too obvious."

The fox's heart skipped a beat. Could she see right through him? Could she tell that he'd been planning this for some time now? But then again, what would be the harm in that? Then she would understand where he was coming from…but if she didn't, then she would be clueless to his romantic feelings toward her.

Dang it, when did life become so complicated? Answer: the day he met her.

The partners arrived at her office, and he leaned against the door as she made her way to her desk. "So, six tomorrow?"

Judy looked up from the paperwork spread out on her desk and squinted her eyes at him. "Hmm…okay, sure," she replied.

Nick gave a brief salute before he headed out to grab a file. Judy had been acting slightly strange recently, almost like she was suspicious of him. She kept asking him questions about everything he did, and it was starting to make him worried. However, he had noticed that the fox repellent hadn't made a return, so that was a good sign.

'Those days are past, now,' Nick reminded himself. 'You don't have to be so worried about getting hurt again.'

Ah, but that was the risk he was taking, wasn't it? Inviting her over, just the two of them spending a few hours together. Honestly though, they'd done it plenty of times before, so what was so different? Heck, they'd spend over 48 hours together before, and they'd been just fine. There was truly nothing to worry about…unless she rejected him, of course. But really, what were the odds of that?

Nick had no idea.

After another successful day filled with crime and paperwork, Nick and Judy walked out of the ZPD together. They parted ways like normal, the only exception being the weird look she gave him. Nick was about to ask about it, but he brushed it off. Maybe she was just having an off day.

The next morning, Nick woke up and saw that, well, it wasn't exactly morning.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap-" he muttered as he pulled on his pants. Sure, he'd stayed up late on Nutflix, but he didn't think he'd wake up around 2pm. Now he only had four hours to get his apartment looking like a somewhat-normal place to live.

The next few hours flashed by in a panicked rush, but at the end, Nick had to admit that it was worth it. His apartment looked better than it had in months. He glanced up at the clock— it was 5:30. Nick picked up his cellphone, made his order, and dashed off to shower.

He was just done towel drying when there was a knock at the door. The fox tossed on his clothes hurriedly, grabbed some money, and went to the door to pick up his order. Nick had learned a few weeks ago that Judy had never had Chinese, one of his personal favorites, and that was something he was about to change.

Nick thanked the delivery man and set the little boxes down on the coffee table. He already had the movie picked out and everything— The Furminator, yet another favorite thing of his that would be new to Judy.

He stepped back and studied his apartment. It was all good to go— wait, was that a sock on the floor? Nick rolled his eyes and went to go pick it up. Just as he was placing it in his dresser, there was a jaunty little knock at the door. His stomach felt like it was full of butterflies, and his head was starting to feel light. Regardless, Nick grinned like never before and practically bounded over to the door.

The second he opened the door, Judy looked liked she was about to say hi. But instead, she stopped and pushed past him. "Woah, did I miss something? Is the apocalypse coming?" she blurted, turning around and looking at the apartment. "It's so clean!"

Nick chuckled as he shut the door. "Believe it or not, I am capable of being an adult." He leaned against the door and crossed his arms, watching as she went around investigating his apartment. She ducked under a table and came back up a second later with a lone sock, smirking.

A dubious grin came onto his muzzle as he laughed, embarrassed. "Was wondering where that one went…" he trailed off. Judy laughed, chucking the sock at him so that it fell perfectly between his ears. Nick scrambled to get the sock off and hastily stuck it into pocket, which only made Judy laugh even more.

"So what's on the docket for tonight, Nicky?" his bunny asked as she made her way to the couch. Once she sat down, her eyes brightened when she saw the containers of Chinese. "Wait, is that-?"

"Yup!" Nick smiled, sitting down next to her and handing her a box. "I didn't know what you'd like, but I made sure it had a lot of carrots."

Judy replied to this with an elbow to the stomach, but she still grinned when she opened up the mystery box. "This looks great!" she said appreciatively. "Now where's a fork?" she asked. She was about to get up to go to the kitchen, but Nick held out a paw.

"Ah, ah, you gotta eat it correctly," he admonished. "You have to use these." Nick held out a pair of chopsticks to the confused bunny.

She took them and and stared. "…what are they?" she asked.

Nick couldn't contain his laughter. "They're chopsticks, Carrots! Come on, don't tell me you've never seen them before."

Judy fixed him with a look. "I grew up in Bunnyburrow, so…no, I've never seen chapsticks before."

" _Chop_ sticks, Carrots, chopsticks," Nick tsked. "Here, I'll show you how. So just put this finger right here-" he said, moving her paws into the proper position. "Good, and then this one- yup, right there, you got it. Now you control them with these two fingers, and you can pick things up, you see?" he explained, picking up his chopsticks and whisking a carrot away from her carton.

"Hey!" she protested. "That was mine!"

"Ombly ifer fasht enuff," Nick said as he chewed. He swallowed, "Come on, give it a try! It's not that hard."

The next few minutes were spent with Nick laughing until he was crying, and Judy somewhere between laughing and wanting to punch Nick in the arm. Therefore, she did both. Finally, after Judy had enough, Nick was kind enough to get her a fork from the kitchen.

"At least now I can finally _enjoy_ my food," she huffed irritably. Nick let out one more snicker, but stopped when she raised a paw threateningly. He reached for the remote and turned the screen on. Nutflix came up, and when Judy saw what he was looking at, she groaned.

"Ugh, not this one, you never shut up about this one," she pleaded. "What about…uhm, that Fly-tanic movie? That looks interesting."

"Eh, the male lead dies in the end," Nick said dismissively.

Judy rolled her eyes. "Nick, you know how I am about spoilers-"

"-which is why you should totally watch Furminator, because you always make me shut up, so therefore you don't know anything about it!"

The bunny's ears flopped down, and she looked like she was fighting a battle in her head. Nick just smirked. He knew he'd won. "Mmm…fine, but I get to pick next time," she agreed.

Nick smiled. "Deal!"

Judy shook her head, grinning as she hopped up and grabbed a blanket from the chair next to the couch. She surprised Nick when she got back up on the couch— she typically sat far at the other end of the couch so she could stretch out. Tonight, she climbed up right next to him and tossed the blanket over both of them. She was just about to rest her head against his arm when she jumped a little.

"Sorry, is this okay-?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's ah," Nick stuttered. "You're fine."

Judy beamed up at him and resumed her process of snuggling into him. The action-packed movie started, but Nick wasn't surprised when he heard snores to his left within fifteen minutes.


	9. Predacious Partner

It was…starting to cause issues, to say the least.

It started a few weeks ago after a hit and run. They'd had the bear cornered, and out of anger, he lashed out and left a mark on Judy. She had no idea what had happened— the hit had her out for a few minutes. All she knew was what she read in the case file, which detailed an apparent attack on the original assailant.

"Nick…is this true?" Judy questioned. Her arms were crossed, but she still held a look of disbelief. There was no way Nick would have attacked a bear like that.

Her partner had just given her a shrug and a wink. "Oh, you know how those files make it sound so dramatic— it was nothing, really. Just a scuffle."

Judy had given him a warning look, but brushed it off. If he said it was nothing, then it was nothing. She trusted her partner implicitly.

But then that Thursday, there was an incident involving two raccoons, a slippery squirrel, and some rope.

"Tying them upside down until I got there? Seriously?" Judy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nick once again shrugged. "What? It's happened to us before. It's nothing that'll hurt them-"

"Unless it was for an extended period of time, like it happened to be in this case."

"-but they did have that illegal bunny tranquilizer," Nick pointed out.

Judy just shook her head, smiling slightly. "Just call me sooner like planned, next time, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he winked with a salute.

Next time came five days later. Judy was tapping her foot rapidly, and Nick was giving her a slightly bashful look.

"Biting his leg? Really, Nick? Was that necessary?" she inquired. She wasn't quite furious, but she was a bit ticked off.

He laughed, embarrassed. "Well, considering the fact that if I hadn't, he would have lunged at you and done who knows what-"

"Next time, think things through," Judy interrupted. "You don't want to give us— or _foxes_ — a bad reputation as cops."

She thought this would be the last time. After all, he had put his ears down and nodded solemnly. Even his tail was sagging as he left. Judy almost felt bad for having to correct him, but it was her job. And she was his superior, technically.

But this time, it was different.

" _ **Why**_ , Nick, _why_?" she seethed. "You knew the plan going into it, and you completely ruined it!"

The fox was flabbergasted. "Excuse me, did you just ask 'why'? As in why did I tackle the wolf that had a gun pointed at you?"

Judy scoffed and turned away, arms crossed.

Nick wanted to rip his fur out. "In case you forgot, _partner_ , I saved your life! So I would appreciate a thank you-"

The rabbit spun on him. "Oh, a thank you, is that what you want? A thank you for getting involved in a situation that I clearly had under control-"

"-I wouldn't call being at gunpoint under control, Judy!" Nick interrupted. "In fact, I-"

"Hey!" Bogo barked. He was standing in the doorway of his office, looking at them expectantly. "Get in here, now!"

Chief Bogo stared the partners down. They were sitting in separate chairs, neither one looking at the other. "You both have a lot of explaining to do," he started out.

Judy opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "I don't want to hear it, Hopps— that situation got way out of hand," Bogo stated firmly.

Nick was about to smirk proudly, but Bogo saw that too.

"-and _you've_ been causing a ruckus with the press, Wilde," Bogo snapped. "I've seen your pattern of aggression, and while I understand your desire to keep your partner safe, this has far exceeded the norm of protective instincts-"

"Pft, that's an understatement," Judy scoffed.

Bogo eyed her suspiciously. "I have decided…" he began slowly. "…that you both need a break from each other. Starting tomorrow, you will be temporarily reassigned partners-"

"But sir-"

"Thank goodness."

Nick blinked, mouth wide open. He hadn't just heard that, had he? Judy wasn't actually happy about this, was she?

But she was getting up and walking out of the office. No, no, no, this wasn't happening, this wasn't happening.

"Judy! Judy, wait!" Nick called, running after her.

She wasn't listening. Her ears were pinned straight up, not willing to turn back and listen to his pleas. She walked into her office calmly and began to pack up her things for the night.

Nick rushed in after her. "Judy, you can't seriously be happy about this, right?"

The bunny turned on him, eyes blazing with unspoken fury. "Actually, yes, I am happy about this."

A knife pierced his heart, but she wasn't through.

"You've been ridiculous lately!" she huffed. "I don't know if you can't handle the missions anymore, or if you're becoming untrustworthy-"

"You don't understand, Judy!" Nick cut in desperately.

"Clearly," Judy said through gritted teeth.

Nick wanted to hit his head on something. "No, no, that's not how I meant it. I-"

"Oh don't worry, I understand entirely!" she fumed. "You want to be in charge. That's it, isn't it?"

He was ready to interrupt, but she held up a firm paw.

"That's why you keep changing the plans, isn't it? Well news flash, Nick— you're not in charge here, I am. We may be partners, but I am your superior, and therefore when I say something, you _will_ do as I say."

"But Judy-"

"No buts! I've had it up to _here_ with you!" she exclaimed irritably.

Nick wanted so badly to be angry, but he couldn't be. He had to make her understand. He'd done all those things to protect her, not control her. Maybe he should have been smarter, yes, and maybe he shouldn't have been so rash in his decisions, but it was all for _her_.

He could see it all over again— his bunny, out cold on the concrete after that bear hit her. His bunny, on her way to confront a gang armed with tranqs, the type made specifically for her species. His bunny, trapped in a corner against a rhino twenty times her size. And worst of all, his bunny at gunpoint.

But even with all of these emotions coursing through him, he couldn't figure out what to say. So instead, he just hung his head. "Okay," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

Judy's mouth tightened up into a scowl. She almost said something, but stopped herself. She shook her head, muttering "forget it" under her breath. She pushed past him, and for the first time in five months, walked out of the ZPD alone.

Nick stood there in her office for at least fifteen minutes. He was in a daze, unwilling to accept what had just happened. Was that what it felt like? To put all your trust in someone, to really care for someone, and then have them walk out on you?

It made him wonder if she'd felt this way when he'd left all those months ago— that sick, rotten feeling in your stomach that makes you want to cry; the weighty pain in your heart that felt like a rock; or worst of all, the feeling of being lost all over again. Besides Judy, he didn't really have anyone else. She was it, and she was all he'd ever wanted or needed.

It was as if a rain cloud was forming over his head— a little one made just for him. It poured guilt, shame, and hopelessness over him like he'd never experienced before. Nick Wilde felt awful, and even then, he couldn't tell himself his mantra, his own advice…the phrase he said over and over, to never let anyone show that they got to him. But Judy had gotten to him, and it hurt now that she was gone.


	10. Ulti-mate-um

**Hello, everyone! It all ends here, so I want to thank everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Please enjoy!**

The sky was dull, the sun was dull, everything was dull. Nick wouldn't go so far as to call himself depressed, but he was pretty darn close. Everything had lost meaning, and all because of that stupid bunny.

Ugh, "stupid bunny"…who was he to call her that? She was brilliant, a genius of her own right, and one of the sharpest officers ZPD had ever seen— Judy Hopps, the bunny who'd stolen his heart and walked away with it.

He'd said he was sorry, and he really meant it. But she hadn't forgiven him. All she'd done was mutter a quick "forget it" and left. Did she really mean that? Were they just going to forget each other?

But how could they, after all they'd been through? All the laughs, all the close calls. Every second they'd spent together was burned into his memory, clinging on no matter how hard he tried to push them away. He wished he could forget her…actually, no, no he didn't.

Why would he want to forget her? She was everything he wasn't— honest, brave, kind, genuine, confident. She was a beautiful creature, and he was just a wreck of one futilely trying to figure out how he'd fallen for an animal so much better than him.

And yet…if she was here, she'd be sad if she knew what he was thinking. She'd tell him to cheer up, that he could be anything he wanted to be. He could be honest. He could be brave. He could be all of those things, if only he would just try. And he _had_ achieved those things…but he'd only become that way because of her, her and that unending optimism she always had.

Nick sighed, looking up from his place on his bed. It was only 4pm, just 22 hours since their fight. It felt like it had been an eternity, a never ending hole of loneliness that sucked him in and swallowed him whole. His eyes were dry now, but they hadn't been a few hours ago.

Judy…she really would be telling him to get up right now. To stand up, to do something. To take his own advice.

Suddenly, a rush of realization hit him. He needed to fix this, and he needed to fix this now. No more waiting around feeling helpless, no more doubting, no more wondering what could be— he was gonna do it this very day.

Nick was struck with a bolt of energy like never before. He practically leapt out of bed and into the shower. He had just the plan, and all he could do was hope that it worked.

Thirty minutes later, Nick was standing outside her door. His paw was caught in midair, and his throat was dry. All of his earlier confidence was gone, leaving the fox feeling like an idiot as he stood in front of her door with flowers in his paw.

Nick stared at the door. He was gonna do it. He was gonna knock on this door, apologize, and tell her how he felt.

He breathed in deeply, paw hovering over the door.

But before he could knock, the door opened on its own. Two pairs of wide eyes met.

"I was just-"

"I came to-"

They both stopped. Silence held them captive.

"Here, um, come on in," Judy suggested. Her voice was light, strained almost, and her eyes were red. Nick entered the apartment slowly. Every sound seemed louder than usual in the silence. She shut the door and turned to face him.

"I-" he started. "I came here to, ah, apologize. Now I know...I know this isn't something I usually do, but I want you to listen, okay?" he requested earnestly.

Judy looked confused, but she nodded. Nick found himself staring at her. It seemed like it'd been so long, but it hadn't even been a day. She looked different— like the life had been sucked out of her. No doubt he looked just the same.

Nick looked away, staring down at the flowers in his paws. "You, ah…you've become very important to me during the few months we've known each other, and that's, um…that's something that I never thought could happen...to me."

He hesitated, glancing up in her direction. She didn't look mad, she didn't look sad. But she was staring at him, entirely focused on him. And so he continued.

"You- you know me, Judy, and…you also know that I don't really let people see the real me. But then there's you, and-," his voice caught in his throat. "-and it's like you've just become a part of me, and you're always in my head, and I can't get you out-"

Nick heard a giggle, and he saw Judy covering her mouth with a paw, smiling. He smiled back shyly, but then looked back down at the flowers.

"Uh, well," he swallowed nervously. "What I'm trying to say is…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that I was trying to control you, or anything like that. I just wanted to protect you, but I know I was an idiot, and- and I also know that now you might hate me, or be mad at me, and I understand if you want me to leave or to take a break, but I...I just really don't want you to want me gone."

He had to swallow again. His mouth felt like the desert. "I know I'm a horrible friend, sometimes an even worse partner, but I- uh…"

Her eyes were curious now, filled to the brim with anticipation. But she could see how nervous he was, and her features melted slowly into that look. The look that could drive him crazy if she did it for too long— the one where her eyes were half-lidded, her head was tilted sideways, and she had that sweet little smile on her muzzle.

The words were there, he could taste them. And so he stuttered, "I-I love you very much, Judy, and, um-"

"Oh, Nick," Judy giggled. "I love you, too, you know that."

Nick laughed with her, albeit in a much more nervous manner. "I know, I know, but- I mean it."

Her face changed now. Her eyes were getting wider, and her mouth had dropped open. Nick didn't know if this was a good thing or not, but the words were already coming out of his mouth.

"I really love you, Judy, like… _love_ love you."

It only took a second for her face to split into a grin, and then another second for her to hug him. "Oh, Nick, I thought you were never going to admit it! You really were starting to drive me crazy," she laughed as she nuzzled her nose into his shoulder.

Nick laughed awkwardly, pulling her close. "Was I really that obvious?"

Judy looked up at him, her eyes shining. "To everyone else? No. But to me? Completely obvious, you dumb fox."

Said fox chuckled, and he gently pressed the bouquet of flowers into her paws. "Sly bunny," he teased.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I'd have to be to get a shifty fox like you," she shot back, smiling. Nick smiled back and happily nuzzled her nose with his.

He was about to say something back, but a voice next door interrupted him.

 **"See? I told you she'd stop crying eventually!"**

 **"Oh, shut up! They just had a moment!"**

 **"Yeah, and then they'll probably argue again, and have another moment, and then argue again, and-"**

 **"Just ignore him, you two! You keep having your moment!"**

Judy rolled her eyes, groaning, "Ugh… noisy neighbors."

 **"Hey, we heard that!"**

 **"Shut up, Jerry, they're still in their moment!"**

 **"You shut up!"**

 **"No you shut up!"**

 **"No you shut up-!"**

Nick glanced down at his bunny. "How does a walk downtown sound?" he suggested.

Judy smiled brightly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Nick returned the smile. They walked out of the apartment paw in paw, ignoring the melodramatic shoutings of her neighbors.

"They're probably right, you know," the bunny hummed after a while. "We'll probably get in another fight by the end of this week," she joked.

The fox smiled, but then simply shrugged. "What was it you taught me in the police academy?" he asked aloud. "Oh yeah, that's right— perseverance."


End file.
